Understanding
by ZeldaDragon
Summary: Sometimes the best helping hand is a good firm push. Or, in some cases, a good healthy argument between two argumentative people. KyoUo fluffiness ensues.


**My second little one-shot for Fruits Basket. This is the unedited version (although I did edit it myself, all authors know that sometimes mistakes still get through). All typos are mine and mine alone. I apologize in advance if some of my views on characters or surroundings are different than yours. I intend no harm. **

**Just so everyone knows, this is Kyo/Uo fluff through and through. I think the characters of FB get enough angst and drama as it is without me having to add to it. ;)**

**Disclaimer: No characters mentioned forthwith are mine. I just borrowed them. And didn't make any money in the process.**

**_Dedication: To all the wonderful friends I made from our Fruits Basket group that went to AWA, and my dear friend who got me hooked in the first place. You know who you are._**

xxxxx

Kyo was not happy. At all. He had no idea how Tohru had talked him into coming. School dances were stupid. And it's not like he was actually going to dance. I mean, come on. How would it even be possible without triggering that stupid curse? It _wasn't_ possible, which is why he was currently leaning against the wall, as far back into a corner as he could get, watching the rat and Tohru talk across the room.

Kyo sighed deep in his throat. He was very ready to leave. And that's just what he was going to do. He pushed himself away from the wall and forced his feet to move, bringing him quickly to freedom. It had been stuffy in that room, and he was glad to out in the fresh night air. He had just crossed the street when a figure further up the way caught his attention. She (the figure was obviously wearing a dress) was perched on a cement wall, legs dangling and head low. Her shoulders were trembling.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he crept forward. On closer inspection, he found that she had blonde hair, pale in the moonlight, and long limbs. She looked familiar. She looked like…the damn Yankee. It _was_ her. Kyo bristled at the sight and quickly turned to retreat before she could see him.

"What, you don't have anything to say, smart ass?"

Too late. He swirled back around and his first retort died. "I didn't realize you knew how to cry, Yankee," he growled instead.

"Oh please." She made a sound and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm a girl. All girls cry."

As much as he wanted to run, his feet remained glued to the ground. "What happened to make _you_ cry?"

"It's stupid." Uo swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

Against his will, Kyo went over to her and hoisted himself up on the wall, his right leg almost touching her left. "Yeah, it probably is." He tilted his head to look at her. Her face was red and her cheeks were blotchy, eyes wet and puffy. "But you can go ahead and tell me anyway."

She shook her head and took a sniffling breath. "My, um…my date blew me off for some other girl." She shrugged pathetically and smacked almost violently at her face to stall the new tears before they could fall.

"What?" Kyo scrunched up his eyebrows, confused. "Why did he do that?"

"Because he's a jerk? I dunno." She shrugged again. "He said I was, and I quote, 'too stupid and too tall' for him. He found some cute little brunette seconds after leaving me here."

His eyes went wide and he glanced over at her, dumbfounded. "That's not right. No one should say something like that to you. Besides, I'm taller than you are."

"And smarter, right?" she asked, anticipating his argumentative side to emerge. Instead he was silent, now gazing off in the distance. His next remark threw her completely.

"You look nice." He let his heels hit back against the concrete wall and bounce off again. "That dress looks good on you."

Arisa met his eyes, not sure how to respond. Was he just setting her up for something? "Why in the world did you say that?"

"Because it's true!" he snapped defensively. "Do I always have to have a reason to say something? Sheesh."

"Well this is _you_ we're talking about here…" She let the comment hang.

A semi-comfortable silence fell. Uo used the hem of her dress to dry her face as Kyo sat beside her, offering what support he could through just being there. He had absolutely no experience in this sort of thing, and especially not with this particular girl.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked after a few minutes.

"It's a long walk."

"It's a nice night."

She studied him warily. "Why?"

"I don't want to go back to that stupid dance," he supplied easily. "But I guess _you_ wanna go, huh?"

Uo shrugged indecisively. "I don't really like dances. I only got the dress 'cause I thought I had a date."

Kyo nodded in agreement. "I'll walk you home." He hopped off the wall and extended his hand to help her down so she wouldn't rip anything.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she probed, rewording the question she had asked at least three times already. Her hand was a gentle pressure in his and she left it there once she had gained her footing.

"Because you need someone to be nice to you tonight." It was a lame excuse, but he wasn't about to let anything else out. Not right now, anyway. "Come on." He tugged lightly at her hand and she followed him, her flat shoes slapping rhythmically against the walkway.

"Turn right up here."

"I know where you live," Kyo retorted.

"Oh." Arisa raised her eyebrows. "Okay."

"What?" he asked hotly.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She squeezed his fingers, a tender reminder of their temporary truce, and flashed him a kind smile. "You can be pretty sweet, you know that?"

"I'm only doing this because you were so upset." _Liar_, he thought to himself. _Maybe you should just up and admit it. You like her._

"I know, I know." She swung his hand in hers in time to their walking. "You're right; it is a nice night. The stars are bright."

Kyo didn't say anything as he walked along. What was there _to_ say? After a good fifteen minutes, Uo's apartment building came into view. He hadn't realized that she lived in such a run-down neighborhood. It would do no use worrying about her, though. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. As they mounted the front stairs, she pulled her hand from his.

"You, um, wanna come up?" she asked, hesitating slightly as she reached into a hidden pocket to take out a key. "There's probably something to eat, if you're hungry."

"Nah." He stepped back down the stairs, still looking up at her leaning against the door. "I should probably go home…or something."

"Yeah…yeah, you're right." She shrugged and pushed the door open, pausing momentarily to say, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Kyo watched her disappear as the door closed. He wanted nothing more than to dart after her, cheer her up and make her laugh. See where she lived. Yeah, that's the excuse he'd use. He leapt back up to the landing and through the door, looking left and right for any sign of which way she'd gone. There, just going into the stairwell. He followed her.

"Hey, Uo!" His voice echoed harshly on the dilapidated cement walls. "I'm kinda hungry. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer after all."

She turned and awarded him with a bright smile. He felt his heart stop before pounding back again. "Come on up," she said, the happy hostess. "Just a few more floors."

They were both out of breath by the time they reached her apartment. She stuck the key into the lock and let them inside, flipping on a light. The room was small. No, tiny was the right word. He could see everything from the doorway; the far wall was only a few meters away, the little kitchenette three steps to the right. Furniture, sparse as it was, took up most of the space. A small table surrounded by rickety chairs, an ancient loveseat, a small wood-framed bed, two other doors for a closet and a closet-sized bathroom.

"What would you like to eat?" Arisa asked from the kitchenette. She leaned against the short divider to look at him with unthreatening eyes.

"I don't know…" Kyo thought for a second. "Do you have any oranges?"

"Yep." She spun on her heel and reached to the top of the refrigerator to pull down a small bowl of fruit, grabbing an orange and throwing it at him. "An orange for Orangey."

He would have said something lewd is return but bit his tongue when she started laughing as he caught the fruit. "Damn Yankee…" he mumbled under his breath.

"Just peel it over the counter. I'll clean up later." She picked up an apple for herself and crunched into it, leaning back against the refrigerator.

"It's no wonder you're so thin," he blurted before he could think of what he was saying. "All you eat is fruit." She was silent as he peeled the skin off the orange and dropped it to the counter. The linoleum covering was cracking back in more than a few spots. "How long have you been staying here?"

Uo shrugged. "A while."

"Why?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

He shrugged this time. "Why do you live alone…here? I mean, aren't you afraid you'll be mugged or something?"

She took another large bite of the apple and swallowed before she spoke again. "Can't be any worse than living with my dad," she whispered. "Besides, I like living alone. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I know." Kyo licked some of the juice off his fingers. "Sometimes I wanna go out and live on my own. It would probably make my life much less complicated." The orange fell into neat pieces on the countertop and he picked one up and popped it in his mouth.

"Yes, but you see…you live with people who love you, who would miss you if you left." She paused to take another bite. "I didn't. My dad probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone."

He didn't know what to say to that. He had figured Arisa hadn't had a happy childhood – she _was_ in a gang, after all – but he hadn't thought anything about her family. Had her father been abusive? Or did he neglect her? He decided a change of subject was in order. "You, um, keep this place pretty clean."

She laughed at that. "Was I making you uncomfortable, Kyon?"

His ears turned red at her laughter. "No," he said indignantly.

"It's okay," she replied, taking a last bite of her apple before tossing it into the waste bin. "Yeah, I like keeping my little home neat. It bothers me when things are out of place."

Kyo stuck the remaining piece of orange into his mouth. "What should I do with these?" he asked, gesturing to the rinds.

"Here, give 'em to me."

He brushed the peels off into his hand and dropped them into hers. His fingers brushed against her wrist as they drew away but she made no notice of it, instead dumping the trash into the waste bin with her apple.

"Let's sit down, hmm? My feet are killing me." Uo moved from behind the barrier and over to one of the chairs at the table. She didn't even look up at him as she leaned over to unfasten her shoes. From his position as he walked over, he could almost see down the front of her dress. As soon as the thought of how smooth her skin there looked crossed his mind, he bit the inside of his cheek as subtle punishment. All of a sudden she made a noise of delight and threw the shoes across the room to land with a thud beside her bed. "I never want to wear those things again. I think they cut off blood flow or something."

Kyo smirked as he plopped down into the chair beside her. "So where'd you get all this furniture?"

"Mmm?" She glanced up at him momentarily as the question settled in her distracted mind. "Oh. Well some of it was already here, like the stuff in the kitchenette, the loveseat – don't ask – and the chairs. Oh, and the bookshelves. Even the books."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "The books were already here?"

Arisa rolled her eyes. "God, you are so gullible. No, stupid, I was kidding about the books. I brought those myself. Anyway," she went on, ignoring his scowl, "the rest of the stuff is mine, like the bed, table, and that chest of drawers over there. Hana-chan and her parents helped me move it all."

Kyo leaned back in the chair, trying not to jerk as it squeaked in protest. He did jerk, though, and almost fell over, when a dog barked loudly somewhere close by. Uo cursed, making a face at the ceiling. "Man upstairs has a dog. A big one. It bites." She crossed her arms and leaned back as well, mimicking him. "I hate dogs. I'm a cat person."

His eyes went wide. Of course, she had no idea what that one little thing meant to him but it gave him a sudden surge of confidence. "I-I like cats, too."

"I've noticed." She flashed him a quick grin. "I would take in one of the strays from the alley out back, but I'm afraid that monster of a dog will eat it or something. I leave food out for them instead…when I have enough money to bring some home."

"Are you okay?" he asked without warning.

"I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?"

"Stop mocking me!" he snapped, leaning forward dauntingly. "I mean, are you really doing all right out on your own?"

Arisa shrugged and looked away. "It's hard sometimes, but I manage. I've been though much worse, I promise. Why do you care?"

"Why do you keep asking _me_ why I ask _you_ simple a question? Jeez, it's like I'm on trial for murder or something." After a moment, he supplied, "Because you're Tohru's friend, and she cares about you…which means…I…care about…you."

For the first time the whole evening, she gave him a real smile, teeth and all. "You know, I'd give you a hug if I were that kind of girl."

Kyo's heart skipped a beat at the feared word. "Yeah, well…you're _not_ that kind of girl, so don't do it."

She laughed and wagged her fingers frivolously. "Relax, Orangey. I'm not going to touch you. You'd probably contaminate me with something."

He sighed huffily and leaned back again. "So, um, are you gonna see this guy who dumped you at school?"

"Why?" Her face immediately became intimidating as she furrowed her eyebrows.

He shook his head in thought. "I just think you should beat him to a bloody pulp with that pole."

"Oh." The anger seeped quickly from her body. "That's your answer to everything, isn't it orange top? 'They did something to do me wrong so now I must kill them!'" she imitated in a high-pitched voice.

"Shut up! I don't act like that!" Kyo stood quickly, the chair falling backward at the movement.

"Yes you do!" Arisa stood and went to as close to his side as he would let her. "You're always picking a fight with Yuki! Why do you do that? And don't give me some cryptic answer like 'because he's a rat' or some crap like that."

"Because…" He twisted away from her angrily and crossed his arms across his chest. "Because I hate him."

"But you hate _me_, and you don't go around trying to punch me," she countered, matching his sudden ferocity with ease.

"I don't hate you! I…" He froze as soon as the words were out of his mouth and looked at her with wide eyes. When had she gotten so close?

"You what, Orangey?" she asked quietly, coming even closer.

"I…I don't hate you, okay?" He backed away, surprised she had found such a tender topic to pick him about.

"Okay." And just like that, the subject was moot. She turned around and walked to the other side of the room, detouring to open a drawer. She pulled out some flannel pants and a tank top and threw them onto the bed behind her.

"I-it's late…" Kyo scooted toward the front door. "I should probably leave."

"Hey, um, before you go…" She followed him a few steps and beckoned him to come the rest of the way. He obliged, momentarily confused as she put her back to him and swept away her blonde hair. "Could you unzip this for me?"

He blushed almost painfully as he pulled the zipper on the back of the dress down until there were no more teeth left to disconnect. Her back, bare before him, looked so soft, but he could see the well-earned muscles there twitch with the slightest motion she made. The deep blue of the fabric contrasted so nicely with her pale skin… He dropped his hands before he did something stupid. "There."

"Thanks." Her shoulder blades moved as she dropped her hair back down. She didn't look at him as she walked slowly back to the bed to gather up her pajamas.

"What, um, what would you have done if no one was here to unzip it for you?" He wasn't ready to leave just yet, and was prepared to start some pretty dull conversations if he needed to.

"I would have cut it off."

"Huh?" He furrowed his eyebrows as he imagined the image in his mind.

"It was a cheap dress. I would've cut it off." She glanced over her shoulder and winked. "If you're leaving, could you flick off the light on your way out? I have a lamp over here." As if to prove her word, she turned on the little lamp beside the bed.

"Oh, yeah…sure." He couldn't help but watch her back a moment more before she pulled on the tank top and pulled the pants on under the skirt. She pushed the dress off and left it in a heap on the floor, now fully clothed in comfortable pajamas. He shuffled quietly to the door as she yawned.

Hearing his muffled footsteps, she turned around and fixed him on the spot with her bright eyes. "You wanna stay?" Her voice was soft but not seductive in the slightest. "I'd kinda like the company. It gets lonely around here sometimes, ya know?"

"I shouldn't," Kyo mumbled, reaching half-heartedly for the door. "But, um…would you like me to make you something to eat? Other than fruit, I mean."

"Sure," Arisa said, giving him a sweet smile. "I'd like that."

**End**


End file.
